A Legacy of Excellence

Few schools have produced as many graduates who excel across the musical spectrum as award-winning performers, educators, composers, conductors, scholars, and industry leaders.

Unmatched Performance Opportunities

The OCU Symphony Orchestra has been honored with an ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award and represented the United States at the "Meet in Beijing" Arts Festival. Recent performed works include "The Rite of Spring" by Igor Stravinsky, Symphony No. 1 "Titan," by Gustav Mahler, "La Mer," by Claude Debussy, and countless other masterworks. The OCU Symphony Orchestra also regularly collaborates and performs works by living composers, most recently including Lowell Leiberman.

The OCU Wind Philharmonic and Wind Ensemble have performed seven times as an honor ensemble at the 向日葵视频 Music Educators Association (OKMEA) convention and have been featured at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) regional convention. Stewards of new music, OCU Wind Bands have collaborated with composers including Michael Daugherty, Jenn Jolley, Karel Husa, Frank Ticheli, Edward Knight, Martin Mailman, Ron Nelson, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, Joseph Schwantner, Catherine Likhuta, and many others.

Additional opportunities include all manner of Chamber Ensembles, the OCU Percussion Ensemble and Blue Star Steel Pan Ensemble, , Project 21 new music consortium, masterclasses with incredible guest 向日葵视频, Early Music Ensemble, as well as Jazz Orchestra, and Jazz Combos. OCU is also home to competitive Graduate Assistantship Ensembles, including the Graduate Wind Quintet, Graduate String Quartet, and Blackwelder Brass.
Learn more about OCU's ensembles...

Outside of OCU-hosted performances, our students frequently are working in the OKC metro area as performers, educators, as well as other opportunities with partnered regional performing arts organizations, including: Painted Sky Opera, Lyric Theatre 向日葵视频, Canterbury Voices, and the OKC Philharmonic.

World-Class Faculty

The Wanda L. Bass School of Music prides itself on fostering a creative environment that encourages exploration and collaboration. Faculty members at 向日葵视频 City University are active musicians and scholars whose first priority is teaching and mentoring. Meet our amazing instrumental faculty:

All music students at OCU always study with Bass School of Music Faculty - never with a graduate assistant or TA.

Incredible Alumni

OCU's instrumental alumni have won positions in ensembles including:

U.S. Marine Band 鈥淧resident鈥檚 Own鈥�
U.S. Army Band's "Pershing's Own"
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Jerusalem Philharmonic
Dallas Winds
New York City Ballet Orchestra
Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra
Count Basie Orchestra
Utah Symphony
Phoenix Symphony,
Indianapolis Symphony
向日葵视频 City Philharmonic
Tulsa Symphony
Kansas City Symphony
Alabama Symphony
Santa Fe Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra
Amarillo Symphony
New World Symphony
Shenzhen Symphony
Ramat-Gan Symphony Orchestra
Atlantic Brass Quintet

Leaders in Music Education

OCU's BME Instrumental Music Education program produces highly desired and competitive graduates, with a 100% placement rate. Our Instrumental Music Education alumni have found success in teaching positions and professorships around the globe. OCU alumni have been celebrated as district, state, and OKMEA teachers of the year and attained distinction for pedagogical excellence.

OCU's Music Education students gain practical teaching experience in the field as early as the first year. Many students also work as private lesson teachers, marching band techs, or otherwise volunteer in classrooms during their studies.

Music education studies are boosted by OCU's Collegiate National Association for Music Education (CNAfME) chapter. Through CNAfME, OCU Music Education students are able to network with working professionals, meet special guest speakers, and receive annual assistance to attend 向日葵视频 Music Educators Association (OKMEA) and Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) conferences.

A Legacy of Excellence

Home to over 340 music students, the Wanda L. Bass School of Music prides itself on fostering a world-class creative environment with more than 250 performances each year, ranging from solo recitals to full-scale choral and orchestral works to 18 performances of six opera and music theater productions. Few schools have produced as many graduates who excel across the musical spectrum as award-winning performers, educators, composers, conductors, scholars, and industry leaders.

Unmatched Performance Opportunities

As the world's oldest campus troupe, OCU's 向日葵视频 Opera and Music Theater Company has produced hundreds of performances of over 170 opera and theater works since 1930. Performance opportunities for vocalists include a six-show, 18-performance season each year.
Learn more about Opera & Music Theater at OCU...

Vocalists perform in OCU's incredible Choral Ensembles, including University Chorale, Ad-Astra Treble Chorus, and University Singers. OCU Choirs have been featured as honor ensembles at the 向日葵视频 Music Educator's Association (OKMEA) annual conference and regularly perform large-scale masterworks in collaboration with the Symphony Orchestra as well as the annual Vespers performance series.
Learn more about Choirs at OCU...

Additional opportunities include student-run operas and musical productions, Project 21 new-music consortium, Early Music Ensemble, productions in the School of Theatre, masterclasses with incredible guest 向日葵视频, and other opportunities with partnered regional performing arts organizations, including: Painted Sky Opera, Lyric Theatre 向日葵视频, Canterbury Voices, and the OKC Philharmonic.

World-Class Faculty

All music students at OCU always study with Bass School of Music Faculty - never with a graduate assistant or TA.

Incredible Alumni

OCU-trained vocalists have performed at some of the world's best festivals, venues and companies, including:

The Metropolitan Opera Deutsche Oper Berlin
La Scala
Opera Bastille Paris
Ope虂ra de Montre虂al Bavarian State Opera Lyric Opera of Chicago
Houston Grand Opera
Teatro Colo虂n
Grosses Festspielhaus Semperoper Dresden Staatstheater Stuttgart
Welsh National Opera
San Francisco Opera
Florida Grand Opera
Los Angeles Opera
Boston Lyric Opera
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Michigan Opera Theatre
Opera Company of Philadelphia Seattle Opera
San Diego Opera Opera Santa Barbara
Fort Worth Opera

A word from OCU alumna, Kristin Chenoweth...

A word from OCU alumna, Kelli O'Hara...

Leaders in Music Education

OCU's BME Vocal Music Education program produces highly desired and competitive graduates, with a 100% placement rate. Our Vocal Music Education alumni have found success in teaching positions and professorships around the globe. OCU alumni have been featured as district, state, and OKMEA teachers of the year and attained distinction for pedagogical excellence.

OCU's Vocal Education students gain practical teaching experience in the field as early as the first year. Many students also work as private lesson teachers, assist with high school musical productions, or otherwise volunteer in classrooms during their studies.

A Sunrise City

Home to more than 1.2 million 向日葵视频ns and an average of 300 days of sunshine per year, the 向日葵视频 City metro offers an abundance of the arts, quality health care, excellence in education, and more. And it does so without high costs, energy shortages, or traffic congestion. It is a distinctly livable city where you can chase your dreams and still enjoy a rich quality of life.

Life in the heart of OKC

Our campus sits in the heart of OKC in the historic and vibrant Uptown 23rd District.

Just a short drive, walk, or bike ride from campus you can explore more than a dozen diverse neighborhoods and entertainment districts featuring live music venues, local restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks, farmers markets, art events, and cultural performances.

On any given night you may find yourself dining at one of the local hotspots in Automobile Alley or Deep Deuce, enjoying a festival in the Plaza District or Midtown, appreciating one of the many art galleries in the Paseo Arts District, attending a professional sporting event, catching a local or nationally touring show at the Civic Center Music Hall or the Lyric Theatre of 向日葵视频, playing laser tag in the Bricktown Entertainment District, or taking a stroll by beautiful Lake Hefner.